Air pollution a major contributor to premature death, says study

This entry was posted on July 15, 2013 by FreshAirPro.

Most people know that air pollution is bad for their health, but a new research paper suggests the impact of air pollution is far worse than initially thought. According to the BBC, air pollution is a significant factor in as many as 2.5 million deaths per year.

The study, which appeared in the Environmental Research Letters journal, revealed that airborne pollutants cause approximately 2.1 million deaths annually, with unsafe levels of ozone accounting for an additional 400,000 fatalities every year.

"Epidemiological studies have shown that ozone and PM2.5 (particulates with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns - about 30 times thinner than the width of a human hair) have significant influences on human health, including premature mortality," read a statement by the paper's authors, as quoted by the news source.

According to LiveScience, the study includes data from several climate models, including those from Southeast Asia, to draw a more definitive connection between air pollution and global mortality rates. Researchers believe a majority of the deaths caused by poor air quality occur in Asia, due to this region's large population and high levels of airborne pollutants.

Individuals who are concerned about air pollution and their health may want to invest in an IQAir GC MultiGas medical-grade air filtration system to protect themselves and their family from the harmful effects of air pollution.